Every Sunset
by Fae 206
Summary: After Ursula's defeat, Triton never turned his daughter into a human but she continues to love Eric. Now that Eric knows the truth, he tries to persuade Ariel that he still loves her unconditionally despite being human. Still, will a relationship between a human and mermaid work even if he promises to be with her every sunset, meeting her in the place they were when she saved him.
1. Chapter 1 - I Love You

**AN: **This came to me when I was watching clips from The Little Mermaid.

**Every Sunset**

**Chapter One – I Love You**

Ariel could see the washed-up body on the shore and she felt the tears slide down her cheeks. They couldn't be together. She had changed everything, messed everything up. Ariel could see him moving, he was alive. He was alive and he had saved them but she was a mermaid and he was a human. It didn't make sense and would only lead to heartache. Although she could live with that just for those few moments to be with him, it was wrong of her to expect the same from him.

Ariel sat on the rock and watched as Max came and licked Eric's face, pressing his nose against Eric's shoulder. Eric slowly sat up and Ariel put a hand to her chest. She wanted so much to be with him but they were different species. It wouldn't work.

"If I could dance with you, life would be perfect," she shakily sang, feeling the rush of pain in her chest but she tried to continue singing, "If I could live with you, life would be perfect. If I could spend every day of my life, wrapped up in your arms. My life would be perfect. And if I could love with you, lif-" her voice broke and she struggled to sing anymore so bowed her head, tears spilling down as she clutched to the rock. "Life would be perfect."

She tried to jump from the rock but felt something grab her hand and then felt strong male hands holding the rock and looked to see Eric treading water there. He had so much love and desire already in his eyes. "Please," he whispered as he looked up at her and Ariel pulled him to the rock, jumping into the sea. That was the way things were supposed to be. "Please don't go again."

"Can't you see me?" she asked painfully as she placed a hand on his cheek. He was exhausted and yet he had swum this far so he could speak with her. Maybe he was as crazy as she was. He looked at her again, that affectionate expression not changing. "We…I must look disgusting to you."

"What are you talking about?" Eric asked sadly as he let his fingers push her hair back and leaned forwards, "May I kiss you?" he asked and Ariel looked at him.

"The spell won't work," she told him and Eric blinked. "I'm not going to -"

"I don't care," he said and Ariel stared at him shocked. "You are not disgusting or anything of the sort. May I kiss you?" he repeated and Ariel nodded slowly, she felt Eric's warm lips against hers and it felt as if they were truly destined for one another but how could that be, he was a human, she was a mermaid. "I couldn't find you because you're a mermaid, of course you didn't live in this kingdom," he told her as they broke apart.

"So you know that we can't be together," Ariel protested and saw the pain and confusion appear on his face. "Eric, I don't have legs, I have -"

"I know," he nodded. "You have a beautiful tail. Why should that matter to me?" he asked her and Ariel felt herself crying again. Why was he being like this? He should be running away in shock. He shouldn't be saying these words or kissing her.

"Are you feeling strong enough to swim to shore?" she asked and he froze, his eyes widened but he nodded slowly and Ariel took his hand, swimming with him to the dividing line between them. She felt a joy within her as his hand slowly and very gently ran over her tail. "You belong on the land. I belong in the sea."

"Belong," Eric asked as he saw Ariel try to swim away exposing her tail to him once again. He rushed after her and dropped down onto his knees, the water level just below his waist. "I don't know where I belong anymore, this is all new information to me but I want to be as close to you as possible. I _want_ to belong with you," he said and pulled her towards him in an embrace. He didn't care that her tail was pressing against his knees, in fact, he embraced the feeling. "I don't have gills or anything," he said and Ariel sadly stared at him. "_I_ don't have a beautiful, stunning tail but I will make a promise to you," he told her and Ariel looked at him as he took her hand placing it to his heart and he placed his hand on hers.

"Every day or every night, whichever is best for you. I'll come here. I'll come to this very spot where we met and I'll be with you….I love you," he said and Ariel stared at him.

"Isn't that a sacrifice?" she asked and his hand moved to her tail again, spreading over the scales but only deep love and passion could be seen in his expression, not disgust or dislike.

"Not more of a sacrifice than losing you," he said. "I don't know if my legs are disgusting to you but if you'll let me, I want to come here once every day."

"Sunset," she whispered, "I know when it's sunset under the water," she told him, "You know when it's sunset up on the land, but Eric, this will never work."

"Sunset," he repeated committing it to memory. "Every sunset, no matter what they want or expect me to do, every sunset, I'll come here. I'll be with you for as long as you want. I just can't lose you again."

"You belong to a fishing community," she said and Eric froze.

"Your frie-" he said and Ariel put a hand to his lips.

"No, this isn't about the other fish," she whispered. "Well except Flounder. Flounder's my best friend, a fish," she said and Eric nodded trying to grasp these concepts. "If someone were to find out. If someone were to see me. Who knows what they'd do to get my tail," she said sadly and Eric's jaw dropped, he shook his head quickly.

"I would never let anyone hurt you," he told her, "Never. I love you. I will never stop protecting you," he tried to assure her and Ariel smiled sadly.

"I love you too," she said and he pulled her into his arms. Hugging her and pressing kisses to the side of her head. He held her as close as possible.

"Promise me you'll come back?" he asked her and Ariel nodded. She gazed lovingly into his eyes.

"Of course," she promised as she swam towards the land and Eric followed her, seeing her full tail but he didn't care. He gently placed his hand on it. This was what made Ariel who she was. "Are you certain about this?" she asked as she held his hand on her tail and felt his finger rub gently over a scale. "Can't you see how different we are?"

"Can't you see how similar we are?" Eric argued. "Sunset," he told her as his hand gently tucked her gorgeous red hair behind her ear. Ariel nodded sadly and Eric placed his fingers under her chin, bringing her lips to his again. She smiled in a painful but still loving, desiring, way. She dove into the water again and started to swim off.

Eric stood, not caring how soaked his clothes were. He moved backwards until his back pressed against the rocks and Max came over to him. Eric gently petted the sheepdog's head. "I'm in love with a mermaid, Max," he said in awe but he had a look on his face that proved he loved Ariel unconditionally. "Can you believe that?" he smiled as Max jumped up and licked his cheek. "I'm in love with a beautiful, intelligent, kind, wonderful mermaid." Max barked at him joyfully and Eric blinked as he stared in the direction she had just been.

"I wonder what kind of gifts I can give her," he said as he felt the sun shining above him as it rose higher. "I guess flowers and chocolates won't work this time," he joked, his eyesight caught in the direction in which he had last seen her. "Sunset," he repeated. "I'll see you at sunset. I love you, Ariel."

**End of Chapter One**

**Thank you for reading, reviews are appreciated **

**AN 2: **I'd like your opinion. Should I eventually make Eric a merman or would that be too similar to my previous fic. I would handle it a little differently but don't want to give more of the same.


	2. Chapter 2 - Ethical Pearls

**AN: **I know that there are people who hate prince parents showing up (unless it's in like Cinderella/Sleeping Beauty where the king is shown) so hopefully the last part isn't too annoying for you. I hope you enjoy.

**Chapter Two – Ethical Pearls**

Sunset.

Eric sat down on the beach, staring at the coastline. He had arrived her nearly an hour ago but he didn't care. He turned to Max, gently rubbing his belly. "You think she'll come, right, Max?" he asked and Max barked happily. Eric looked down at a jewelry box in his hand wrapped in gold colored foil. He turned it in his hand wondering if it was the right gift for her. "Do you think she'll like it, boy?" he asked before hearing the sound of the waves and looked up.

"Ariel," he whispered as he ran forwards and knelt down so the water was at his waist. "You came."

"Of course, I came, Eric," she smiled to him and he pulled her into his arms again. "I'm happy that you came too, that you weren't scared. That thinking about my tai-"

"Only reminded me how much I love you," he told her as he placed a hand on her shoulder and then held the gift with the other. "I bought you something, I don't know if it's the right type of gift but if you can't take it, I understand. I just wanted to…"

"You chose a gift for me," Ariel smiled and Eric handed her the box. "Oh, it's so beautiful. I love how gold it is," she said as she pulled it to her chest and Eric's eyes widened but he laughed, bowing his head and shaking it.

"I'm sorry to laugh," he apologized, "I…I didn't mean to…I'm sorry," he said and Ariel handed it back to him.

"Oh, this is…this isn't for me?" she asked and Eric paused before taking her hand in his and put the box in her hand. He kissed her cheek.

"It's inside the box," he told her trying to be sensitive and understanding. Maybe Ariel had never received this type of gift. Their worlds were very different after all. He saw her cheeks turn red and he felt terrible for laughing, he touched her cheek, gently tucking her hair behind her ear. "I only laugh because of how adorable you are," he tried to explain. "Will you open it for me?"

Ariel smiled trying to get over her embarrassment before opening the box slowly. Her eyes widened as she saw that inside of a very soft box, there was a pearl necklace. She let her finger run over it. "Eric, it's beautiful," she whispered with tears in her eyes as it glistened in the sunset.

Eric pointed to a label on the inside of the box. "I made sure that they were ethically sourced," he told her and Ariel blinked. "I don't know how this type of gift is thought of by other merfolk but I'll find something else. If you can't take it, I understand. Our cultures are very different, I just thought that it was beautiful, like you."

Ariel looked at him with tears in her eyes and threw her arms around him. "It's perfect," she said and Eric smiled feeling glad that he hadn't insulted her with the gift.

Eric took it from the box and held it up to Ariel at level with her neck. "May I?" he asked and Ariel lifted up her hair. He gently placed it on her, making sure it wasn't too tight but it was secure and wouldn't get washed away.

Ariel was holding back tears, "How does it look?" she asked as she touched it delicately and Eric beamed at her.

"Beautiful," he said before his eyes met hers, "but not even close to how beautiful you are."

Ariel placed a hand to her chest just under the necklace. "It will be my treasure," she said as he looked at her so lovingly. She wished that she could be with him closer, she wished that she had legs so that they could truly be seen as a couple but this was as much as they could do. "The most precious part though, is how it came from you."

Eric held her close again, kissing her forehead before they both heard footsteps and Eric wrapped his arms around Ariel protectively.

"I have to…. I have to go," she panicked and Eric kissed her forehead, holding onto her shoulders.

"I love you," he said to her, "I won't let them place a finger on you," he said and Ariel kissed his cheek before swimming away. Eric turned around to see one of the best fishermen in his kingdom and felt his protective side appear. He looked at the man's eyes as he stared into the ocean and Max ran over to Eric.

"Did you see that?" he asked astonished and Eric's back straightened. His eyes narrowed as he stood barefoot on the sand. He watched the fisherman suspiciously.

"What do you think you saw?" Eric asked, not able to stop anger in his tone.

The man pointed. "That gigantic fish tail, there's something living out there. It would be a sin for me not to try to catch the fish it belongs to. I could hang it up on the tavern wall," he said and Eric stared at him, his body shaking. "Prize like that, it'll get me free beer for life."

"You are _not_ to go near her," Eric yelled at him and the man stared at him confused. "You are not to touch her. That's a royal order," he said as his eyes narrowed. "If you dare to hurt her, I will have you locked up for the rest of your life." He threatened, the fire burning in his eyes and the fisherman raised his hands taking a couple of steps back.

"Didn't know that it was so important to you," he said quickly and Eric looked at him with a darkened expression on his face.

"Go," he ordered, petting Max's head to relieve some of his anger.

The fisherman studied him again but found that there was no chance of Eric backing down from whatever he thought that he was doing. The man paused and then nodded with a bow. "As you wish, Your Highness," he said before leaving. Eric sighed painfully as he sat back down on the sand. Would she ever come back? Had she been scared off for good? Eric reached out for the box he had given to her as it washed up onto the beach.

He turned it in his hands. He hadn't meant any harm to her. He had been trying to give her love but it had turned out this way. He wanted to prove that he would protect her but he could understand if she didn't trust him and wouldn't trust him again. As he sat down he heard Max barking and looked up at where Ariel had come back, her body trembling. Eric immediately rushed towards her, noticing how she was shaking due to her anxiety.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry about that," he whispered as he held her in his arms. "Are you okay? I promise you that I will never ever let anyone harm you," he tried to assure her as he wrapped her up closer to him. Ariel grabbed to her shirt and as he felt her hand touching him just above his chest, he pulled her closer, allowing her to rest her forehead on his shoulder.

"He…he wouldn't hurt me, right?" Ariel asked and Eric watched her cautiously. He wasn't sure. He hated to say it but he was terrified of what might have happened had she been alone.

"I would never let him hurt you," Eric said as he held her protectively in his arms. "Even if he caught you alone and I wasn't here to protect you, I _am_ the first-born prince. I am heir to this kingdom. I have ways to make sure he never harms you." Eric kissed her passionately.

"I won't end up in a fish tank?" Ariel asked nervously and Eric looked horrified by that question. He understood it was a possibility but he hated to imagine such a thing. He pulled her to him, gently kissing her and letting his fingers run through her red hair.

"I wouldn't let them do that to you," he told her and Ariel started to cry from the fear. Eric held her close. Was he exposing her and putting her in too much danger and being too selfish about wanting to be with her? "I understand you need your home, we're not able to be together in that way, but I don't want anyone else, I want you and so I'll be here each and every day.

"I want you too, Eric," Ariel said before kissing him again, she pulled back and smiled as he cupped her cheek affectionately. "I have to go back now," she told him and Eric nodded. He let his fingers go to the pearl necklace. "I love you, Eric," Ariel said quickly so that she could be the one to say it first.

Eric kissed her again and grinned, "I love you too," he replied before seeing her swim off in the distance. He wished that he could go after her and be with her but he could only hold his breath for a certain amount of time. He couldn't safely live under the sea but he felt that he would – for her.

….

….

As Eric arrived back at the castle, he knew it was late and people would be worried about him especially since the previous few days had had so many weird occurrences. He hated for them to be concerned about him but he could probably explain. He could explain how this young woman had saved him more than once and he couldn't breathe without her, didn't think that he'd be happy without her. He hummed to himself quietly as he opened the door and then paled.

Grimsby was of course there, as he had been there for him since before Eric could remember. However, he hadn't expected to see his mother standing there as well. He opened his mouth to speak to her but then saw the way she was looking at his outfit.

"Darling," she whispered as she approached him, "Where have you been? I arrived a few hours ago and I was told you went out and you come back completely soaked. I mean, I'm thinking that with all this gossip I've been hearing, we may need a doctor to take a loo-" the queen said and Eric turned to her.

"What do you….mean by that?" he asked and she sighed.

"Eric, I know that now you're another year older you must be trying to prove your manhood and I hope this isn't about you rebelling that we weren't with you on your birthday but…getting married in less than a day, not telling your mother and all these people talking about a sea octopus or sea witch or something…I mean, I had to come back and see if you were in at least moderate health."

Eric paused and rubbed the back of his neck. He honestly had been under the curse of this sea witch when he had said that he was going to get married to someone he didn't know. He had also given everyone less than a day to prepare and never contacted his family. It wasn't right for a prince to do. Eric sighed, it wasn't right for anyone to do but he hadn't done it. He hadn't chosen to do it anyway.

"I was cursed. I wouldn't meet a girl and marry her on the same day," he said before smiling as he thought about Ariel. No. He would propose to her and then they would plan to get married but it wouldn't be within the span of a day. He did want to marry her though, he just didn't know how it would work. Would they only be able to be together certain hours of the day. That marriage would be lonely but at least he could be her husband.

"And yet you went out and got soaked?" the queen asked as Eric gestured for Max to sit by the entrance way.

"I have met a girl," Eric told her with a smile. "She's most likely not the type of girl who you would have chosen for me, yes, but she's one I've fallen in love with. She's…she's a princess, I mean, she's not first in line for the throne, I think, but her father is a king." Grimsby handed Eric a towel which he took with a smile and a nod, getting the water from the back of his neck and his face first.

"A princess?" the queen asked with a raised eyebrow, "Which kingdom? I believed that you had been introduced to all of the princesses from the nearby kingdoms."

"She's…." Eric said slowly, turning to Grimsby who nodded, they were both aware of the truth. They had both seen Ariel transform on the boat and how Eric had gone after her. "She's a mermaid," he tried to explain as the queen looked at him as if he had gone insane.

"A mermaid…" the queen repeated the words slowly.

"She is, saw it myself," Grimsby added as he straightened his jacket and the queen looked Eric over.

She turned to the head of staff, "Don't encourage him," she said before looking at her son. "I don't wish to hear that the reason that you're soaked is that you were meeting with this mermaid girl. I don't want you to tell me that she has a tail instead of legs, that she lives under the water. Such things are absurdities that only children would believe."

"I've seen it myself, Your Majesty," Grimsby commented. "Anyone at the wedding would have seen her."

"Then we'll get a large tank for her, invite her to the kingdom," the queen said as she started to plan it inside of her head but Eric shook his own head. He stood in front of his mother and looked at her in a very protective manner although he did have a pleading in his eyes like the loving son he was.

"Don't turn her into an oddity," Eric said defensively. "I won't let you. Ariel's culture is very different from ours. Even if those in the castle are okay with her, there are those in the kingdom who wouldn't be as kind. I don't want her to be in any danger. I don't want the merfolk to be in any danger. They haven't made contact with us because most likely, many of them are afraid of us. They have good reason. I would rather give my life to save her, to spare her from that fate. I will not allow you to hurt her."

"You truly love this woman don't you?" the queen asked and Eric nodded.

"So much so that I will not allow you to turn her into one of your puppets, your living dolls. I have never met a more spectacular woman. I've never felt such love for another person. She saved my life."

"Then I'll meet her tomorrow night," the queen said and Eric's jaw dropped, his eyes widened and he tried to argue but before he could speak his mother raised a hand. "Either I'll come with you to meet her tomorrow night or I'll have two guards bring her here where I can meet her here. Don't mess around with me, Eric," she said and he paused.

"How about the night follow tomorrow? I don't wish to scare her. I'd like to give her at least a day to prepare herself," Eric requested and the queen raised an eyebrow.

"The next day at sunrise, I will meet with her to see if she is a suitable young lady," the queen told him and Eric knew it wasn't worth arguing with her. He only hoped that Ariel would agree to do so. The last thing he wanted was for her to be seen as some kind of oddity. He would never see her as a freak. He just saw her as beautiful.

**End of Chapter Two**

**Thank you for reading, reviews are appreciated**

**Thank you to **marati2011** for reviewing Chapter One**

You are the special one person in eighty six who reviewed so thank you so much


	3. Chapter 3 - Ropes and Nets

**AN: **Changed the plot idea again but hope you guys like this one 😊 Thank you for returning to this fic

**Chapter Three – Ropes and Nets**

Ariel grinned as she turned in the mirror looking at the necklace she was wearing. She put a hand to it and smiled. She didn't want to say that she would have loved anything from the mainland that she couldn't get under the ocean because Eric had attempted to be thoughtful to what her likes were. She wanted to know if he would listen to her interest in humans themselves but she was sure that he would. Besides, she didn't need anything else but these. Eric had chosen these for her and that made them one of her most precious possessions, that and the comb that her mother had left for her.

As she pushed her hair up to get a better look at the necklace, she saw Adella swimming over to her. She bowed her head as she placed a hand over the pearls.

"Those are gorgeous, did you get them from your boyfriend?" she asked as she tried to get a closer look at them. Ariel blushed hearing that word and hoped that Eric would still approve of it being used by her sisters. She wanted to marry him and although he had been bewitched, he had attempted to marry Vanessa when he had first met her. No. That had been because he had been under a spell, royal weddings took months of preparation, Sebastian had told them that.

"Yes, he wanted to give me a gift," Ariel said before her eyes widened and she worried what her daddy would say.

"Well, they are gorgeous," Adella announced loudly and a couple of Ariel's other sisters swam over to take a look at them. Ariel froze as she saw Attina. She turned to her oldest sister and Attina sighed.

"It's that human, isn't it?" she asked and Ariel froze. She knew that they were all aware of how much their father didn't like the idea of interspecies dating. Attina sighed again and put a hand to her forehead, shaking her head before sighing. "Well, he did risk his life to save us from Ursula," she said and everyone flinched hearing that name. "He may be the only human that Father approves of."

"You mean that…" Ariel asked hopefully. Eric had risked a lot in order to save their kingdom, hopefully her sisters were right and Eric had passed whatever test he needed to so that the two of them could be together. There was a sound at the door of their bedroom and Ariel saw Attina go to answer the door. Ariel froze as she saw Triton with a black haired, fresh faced, adult merman at his side. His tail had flecks of gold to it which meant that though he wasn't royalty, he was at least nobility.

"Hello," Attina said as she turned to face the young merman and turned back to the room where four of her sisters were trying to catch a glimpse of who had accompanied Triton. "Good morning, Daddy," she said with a slight bow out of respect.

"I came here to see Ariel," Triton said before gesturing to the merman who Ariel had to admit had some similarities in appearance to Eric but since he wasn't human, he couldn't be nearly the same in terms of his personality. "I thought that I could talk you into going on a date with this eager young merman," he said and Ariel took a deep breath in.

"Daddy, I can't," she told him and the merman blinked at her confused. "I'm sorry. There is somebody else that I'm in love with and who I know loves me and -"

"Is human, likely to cast you aside when he finds his boat has sprung a leak," Triton said and Ariel's eyes widened. No. Eric didn't need to take a boat to see her, she knew that he couldn't swim as well as a merman could but she would come to him.

"Daddy, he risked his life to save us, to save me. He managed to stop you from losing your rule. He protected me. I love him. I'm not going to keep myself from loving him," Ariel said passionately before turning to the younger merman. "I'm sorry. I'm sure that you have a kind personality but I can't form attraction to you, maybe one of my sisters," she gestured where some of them seemed very eager.

"Excuse me," Ariel said before swimming off and Triton turned to look at her.

"What if you were to get caught? What if someone were to see you?" he asked and Ariel ignored those questions. She knew that if someone were to find out about her, Eric would protect her. She placed her trust in him wholeheartedly.

…

…

Just before sunset, Eric paced the beach with Max watching him. He had put on shorts and a loose shirt despite the fact that it was night and had removed his boots. He also had brought some warmer clothes to change into were he to go into the water tonight. He hoped that she would still allow him that honor of holding her.

As soon as he heard the splash of her tail hitting the water, Eric turned and ran into the water. He smiled as she came closer to him and he dropped onto his knees so that he could hold her. Despite his yearning to hold her throughout the day, Eric just felt lucky to have her in the moments that he did. He was loved by a mermaid, a dream that many sailors had.

"Ariel," he breathed in as he held her close to him, she placed her head on his shoulder and breathed in deeply. They lived in different worlds and would be considered different species but he was still in love with her, able to protect her. "You have no idea how happy I am to see you."

"Eric," she breathed in as if that word was the oxygen that she was craving. "Thank you for coming tonight," she told him and Eric laughed, he tucked some of her red hair behind her ear. He had dated before, that was for sure, but he had never loved someone in the way he loved her. Hopefully there would be a chance to go out at sea again and to spend even more time with her. No. That was bad. That involved other people, they would see her and he didn't know if he could protect her although he would risk his life doing so.

"I will always come for you. I'm the luckiest man in the world to be with you," Eric said before he heard a boat from the distance and saw a palace guard on it. He saw it draw closer to Ariel and then heard a boat from the other direction. Behind him he could sense footsteps.

His mother had said sunrise. She had told him that she would give him time to prepare. He pulled Ariel closer to him and he heard her heart beat painfully in her chest. She was terrified as they surrounded them. Eric took a deep breath in before trying to search for a way out, Ariel's tail kept slapping the water with how nervous she was.

"Prince, step away from the creature," one of the guards said and Eric felt his anger flow through him. Creature? She was a mermaid. Maybe she wasn't human exactly but she was _far_ from being a 'creature'.

Eric glared at them before spotting an empty space. "I'm so sorry," he apologized quickly to the frightened Ariel. He tugged her hand, beginning to swim to the safe spot, when they saw what was happening, the guards followed after him. Eric used his remaining breath to kiss Ariel's lips before swimming up to the surface and giving her a chance to get away.

Eric felt a net getting thrown over him and rope binding him but as he saw the waves in the distance, he knew he had gotten her safely away from him. He tried to catch his breath as Max attacked anyone who he could to get them from hurting his master. Eric was thrown in the net gently onto the sand where he still spluttered out water. He stared at his hands and closed his eyes before seeing his mother's feet. He slowly got up so that he could look her in her eyes. His glare was sharp showing the pain, protectiveness, and anger that he was going through.

"You said you'd give me until sunrise," he said in a dark manner.

"As if you would allow that fish to come back at sunrise," the queen said and Eric saw Max pulling the ropes from him. He pet the sheepdog on the head affectionately.

"You didn't even give me a chance to ask her," Eric said as he got up on his feet. "Mother, admit it, you have absolutely no idea what she would have done," he said before looking at Max. He turned to the ocean heartbroken and though it destroyed him inside to do so, he had to wish that she wouldn't come back. He turned to go back to the palace. He would leave them. He couldn't stay in a family where they wouldn't respect his choice to be with Ariel. Maybe his life would be different but he wanted the girl he had fallen madly in love with. He would risk anything to be with her. Aside from Max, he would give up anything to be with her.

…

…

Eric had left the previous night. He had put on some less fashionable clothing that hid his royal status and had put on a fisherman's cap and would try to grow a beard out to keep himself from being recognized. He went to the water's edge with Matt following him, a bag over his shoulder holding only the minimum items for his survival.

He bent down to the waters edge and looked at the paper which he had put inside of the bottle. Hopefully, she would find it.

_My dearest Ariel,_

_Words can not begin to describe how deeply sorry I am for what happened last night. I love you with all of my heart which is why I ask that you do not return to this spot. I have left my home and will relocate. I'm not sure if this message will find you but I hope it does. I will send you another when I have found my new home. I will wait for you, princess. I might be a poor man by then but if you will have me, I will wait for you. If that is asking too much though then please know what I care most about is your happiness. _

_Until the next time we can see each other again,_

_I love you_

_Your Eric_.

He sighed before letting it go into the ocean, he watched it bob away before patting his leg for Max to follow him. Hopefully she would still take him back even without his royal status. He might return to the palace one day but he couldn't after the previous night. "Let's go, Max," he said as the dog came up to him. Eric took one last look over the ocean before walking away. If any luck was on his side, that message would find her.

**End of Chapter Three**

**Thank you for reading, reviews are appreciated**

Thank you to the reviewers of Chapter Two

Andrea, canisfloria, CuteEnough2StopYourHeart, Guest, Guest91, jmschocolate, marati2011

**AN**: I have a cute idea for Chapter Four so I might update a little quicker but no promises

**AN2: **Sorry to advertise but if anyone is looking for a Disney subscription box or one time box I subscribe to two so check them out, Bibbidi Bobbidi Box, and Magic Launch Bay. Just plugging because I love the companies so much.


	4. Chapter 4 - To Be With You

**Chapter Four – To Be With You**

Sebastian stared at the bottle that had been brought to him by an octopus. It was a surprise that they were of any help at all. A lot of the time when things turned up from the surface world, there would be interest in them from the fish and merfolk. However, this was brought straight to him and it was a good thing that it was.

Although it had been a disaster the previous night and there was an unspoken understanding that something had happened, no one was exactly sure and with the death of the queen, people weren't sure how to bring it up in any type of conversation. Still as Sebastian read over the letters, having been schooled in fewer languages than he claimed to be, he could understand the sentiments and knew Ariel had to be stopped and halted from returning to the surface world.

Despite the prince's way of saving the entire ocean, he was still human and he had said that he was Ariel's but what should be done to him was up for debate. Still, if this earth-dwelling human who obviously loved her enough to risk his own life and he said that the surface wasn't safe then there was no way that Sebastian would allow her to return.

Looking around for some sign of where Ariel might have gone, Sebastian spotted the yellow and blue fish swimming by and swam to him. "I've got a question for you," he said and Flounder stopped.

"Whatever it was, I didn't do it," Flounder said quickly and Sebastian looked at him skeptically before shaking his head.

"No. I don't care about what _you've _been doing. This is about Ariel. Surely you know where she is," Sebastian told him and Flounder's eyes widened, he looked from side to side.

"So, so you know that Ariel's upset but I swear I didn't do it and it doesn't seem that, that the prince did it either. I mean, humans can be scary but he, uh, he didn't seem -" Flounder responded still seeming a little nervous about it and Sebastian shook his head.

"I know, I know, he's a prince and he acts like one. He wouldn't have protected Ariel if he wasn't so but I have to see her. Maybe I should speak to the king, have him speak to Ariel but that might escalate the situation and we wouldn't want to worry everyone about something that might seem so worrisome." Sebastian sighed as he clutched hold of the letter and Flounder watched him before gesturing with his body to follow him before swimming off to the area that used to collect Ariel's human items.

ArErArEr

Ariel sighed as she curled up with her tail pulled to her legs. She didn't know what had happened but one thing she did know was that whoever those humans were who had attacked them, Eric had stood against them in order to protect her. He had told her to swim away and she had been able to but now that people knew, what would happen to herself and her sisters. She should tell her father but if she did then she might never be able to return to Eric.

She sighed as she put her finger in the sand and drew a heart in it before writing Eric's name. Why did love have to have so many barriers? Why couldn't love be easy? Ariel let her hair slide over her face before the water pushed it back again. She wanted Eric. He wasn't just a human to her, he was the prince who had saved her life. He was a prince who enjoyed playing and listening to music. He was a prince who loved his dog as much as she loved her best friends. There was nobody else like him.

Ariel tried not to cry as she thought back to how those others had looked at her. She took deep breaths before sensing someone else there with her. She lifted her head and saw Flounder and Sebastian coming over to her. She tried to clean her face but knew they had both seen her.

"Ariel, thank Neptune that you're okay," Sebastian said as he came over to her with the note. "I was worried that you were, no, it's better if _you_ were the one to read this," he said as he held the letter out to her, it had a slight claw mark in it but otherwise had survived. Good sturdy parchment had not been destroyed by the water.

Ariel took the paper and opened it before reading it. A smile warmed her cheeks as she read how Eric had written that he loved her but her breath stopped as she read that he didn't want her to return. Was he no longer interested because of how those other people had seen her? Did he care more about their opinions than he did about her? As she continued to read, she saw that he was asking her to wait for him. He was definitely worth the wait.

"Ariel," Sebastian said when he knew that she had finished reading. "You have to tell us, what happened?"

Ariel looked at him and then at Flounder. "Whatever you think, _Eric_ isn't like them. He doesn't care that I'm a mermaid, he just loves me for whoever I am. I'm sure that if Eric was made into a merman that he would stay with me. He's not like others."

"What do you mean by others? There are others who saw you as you really are?" Sebastian asked and Ariel opened her mouth but didn't know how to respond.

Flounder looked between them angrily, "She did meet others. They wanted to catch her in a net. Thought of her as some oddity, I thin-"

"Flounder!" Ariel said sharply before bowing her head. "How could you?" she asked and Flounder put his fin over his mouth. Ariel turned to Sebastian. She knew that he would tell her father, that the king would make some way of blocking their connection again. She didn't want to think of a world that would restrict her from being with Eric, at least not yet. She had to swim off somewhere. She had to find her own place. She felt her tears mix with the water in the ocean and then found somewhere safe to be alone.

She heard a sound behind her and froze as she saw Flounder there but no Sebastian, was he coming later.

"Ariel," he said sadly before swimming over to her. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you again."

"Oh, Flounder," Ariel sighed before smiling, "Thank you. I know you didn't mean to." Ariel lay down on the ocean bed and closed her eyes, Flounder swam next to her and curled into her body. "I just wish that I really could be human. That I _could_ be with Eric. I'm sorry, you know that I love you, right?"

"I love you too," Flounder tried to reassure her. Ariel closed her eyes and Flounder curled in closer to her. That was before they saw a purple flame before them. Purple had been Ursula's color. Purple meant that Ursula or at least her crazy sister might be here.

"Princess, you have earned the right to have a wish of yours granted, no strings attached," a voice could be heard. It was calm and peaceful but Flounder wasn't sure if that was a trick or not. "I promise you that this is not a trick but you will not be able to do this as yourself. There must be some rules."

"Can you show yourself?" Ariel asked as she looked into the light. She turned around before seeing a gorgeous merman appear, she was almost like a goddess in appearance. Ariel paused. This was real. She recognized this mermaid as having been a friend of her mother's, Aqua Marina. "What do you mean I can't do this as myself?" she asked and Flounder tilted his head watching her.

"Do you wish to accompany Ariel on her journey?" Marina asked and Flounder nodded slowly. "All you need to do then is…trust." The mermaid placed her two fingers to Ariel's forehead and as the younger mermaid started to drop into a sleep, she saw the long brown hair of Marina being tossed in the ocean waters.

ArErArErAr

Max barked loudly as he ran to the dock of the town that a disguised Eric had walked into. He had disguised himself as a sailor with an unknown origin. He would just have to find somewhere near here where he could get a few jobs or even somewhere where he could just find one job. He heard Max's excited barking and laughed. At least the sheepdog was enjoying himself.

Eric ran to where the part near the ocean was empty and saw a brunette crashed onto the shore. It reminded him of when he had seen Ariel but she hadn't had her voice. He wanted to be closer to Ariel but Ariel had saved his life, he could help another.

He saw that she had a small puppy next to her and he gestured to Max to come and see if he could wake her up. Eric reached to where the girl was and knelt down opposite her. He saw her stirring and smiled as she looked up to him with deep green eyes.

"Hi," he said as he tilted his head to the side, that charming smile on his face. "Are you okay?"

"Eric?" the girl asked with an angelic voice but one that he couldn't place. As he watched her, he knew that there was something extremely familiar about her but he didn't know what. He had to stop thinking. Ariel was the girl he loved, the one he wanted to be with when all of this craziness ended.

"I'm sorry," he said with a whisper, "I guess I can't really keep too low of a profile, should have gone with a different disguise. Could you please pretend that you didn't see me?" he asked awkwardly as he looked around. He saw the girl blink as she studied him, he didn't know who she was. "Do we know each other?"

"Yes," she nodded, "I'm -"

Eric paused as the girl just seemed to stop speaking. Her voice disappeared and he looked around. "Can you tell me your name?" he asked and she nodded.

"I'm -" she began again but she couldn't speak. "My name is -" again she didn't seem to finish that sentence and Eric looked to her, confused.

"Listen, if you promise to help me with my disguise, I'll help you too." He told her and felt the girl reach to hold onto his arm. He pulled his arm away with an apologetic smile. "As friends, okay?" he asked her and the girl looked at him in shock. "I'm already in love with someone amazing."

**End of Chapter Four**

**Thank you for reading, reviews are appreciated**

**Thank you to **marati2011 **for reviewing Chapter Three**


	5. Chapter 5 - Lana

**Chapter Five - Lana**

Ariel watched as Eric managed to catch some fish for them to eat. He'd already managed to get enough to sell to the merchants and get some good money which could pay for simple lodgings but it felt tough to see him like this. She knew the luxury of living the life of a royal. She had been a princess, maybe she still was a princess but for a prince to choose to live as a commoner for her benefit was making her feel guilty.

Not able to even say, Ari, as her name, Ariel had gone for the name Lana. It somehow made her feel more comfortable and connected to her home. She saw him wipe the sweat off of his brow before getting to the net where the fish had been.

"Didn't think I could do that?" he laughed as he looked at her. "Don't feel so disappointed. They may seem slimy and disgusting to most girls but they're good to eat. They'll be good to sell as well. I've been on the seas a lot and this…this I learned for survival."

Ariel frowned. She had eaten fish before. She hated to admit to it because fish were seen as members of the kingdom but even a mermaid couldn't survive on kelp alone. The puppy-Flounder looked sickened though even with Max trying to play with him.

"This girl?" Ariel asked as Eric came to sit beside her. "Are you going to meet her here?"

"Hopefully, eventually," Eric said as he had a far off look in his eyes. "I just hope that she forgives me for what happened. I did something stupid that put her in danger. I should have thought more about her situation but I'm so in love with her that it escaped my mind. I just hope that she's at her home with her family. Even if she refuses to see me in the future, I just want for her safety and happiness."

Ariel pulled her knees to her and hummed. "Do you think that you'd ever find somebody else?" she asked and Eric laughed and shook his head.

"No. I'm sorry. I would do anything for her, I would even agree to leave my own home to be with her but that's…we're very different and I don't think it's possible for me to be just like her, accepted into her family." Eric turned to see Ariel about to protest and then looked guilty. "Lana, I didn't mean to give you the wrong impression. If you found my actions or intentions anything more than friendship, I do apologize. You're just not Ariel."

Ariel fumed inside her head but she knew that her only choice was to agree with him. It wasn't as if she had any way of proving to him that she had been transformed. Her voice disappeared each time she tried to tell him anyway.

Eric sighed and gestured for them to leave the coastline. He threw the bag over his shoulder before hearing Max's excited barks. His eyes widened as he saw someone who he had feared would be looking for him and looked to Ariel apologetically. "Lana, I have to take care of this."

Eric paused as he looked at Grimsby who had taken care of him since he was a young boy. "Grim," he said with a sigh. "Didn't take you long to find me." He told him and Grimsby sighed.

"I just wanted to make sure that you are okay. Your parents are worried about you. They've given me the chance to locate you before they send out the royal guards. This isn't where you're supposed to be. Come back to the palace and we'll discuss the matter," he suggested but Eric pulled back.

"There's nothing to discuss. I fell in love and you saw what they tried to do to her. I'm not ready to forgive them -" Eric protested. He bowed his head showing the anger which he felt. Sure, he had fallen in love with someone very different from himself and his family but who truly cared about that?

"The girl that you fell in love with was quite…unexpected," Grimsby tried to make light but then saw Eric glare at him in a darker way than he could expect. "Eric, I support your love but…"

"But what? I didn't choose for her….background but if I don't care, then why should anyone else?" he said before Grimsby sighed.

"Eric, she was a mer-" he saw a fire behind Eric as he said that word and immediately stopped. Yes, it would be best if the idea of merfolk were kept from everyone's minds. Nobody wanted for there to be an attack between land and sea. Watching the way in Eric was protecting her made her want to go over to him and confess everything but she wasn't able to. Nobody had ever loved her like this. No one other than her father had protected her like this.

Ariel ran out and grabbed hold of Eric's arm, "I understand."

Eric turned to her, for a moment, disgust showed on his face before he calmed himself realizing that she just wanted to help him. He took a deep breath in. "I'm sorry, Lana, you _don't_ understand."

"Merfolk," Ariel whispered surprised that she had even been able to say that word and Eric stared at her in shock. "I know about them. I am…" she felt her voice leave her again and Eric tilted his head to the side.

"You know about them?" he asked and Ariel bowed her head, somehow her voice was gone. She was prevented from saying anything else. Eric looked at her and put his hands on her shoulders, "Do you know her?" he asked hopefully but Ariel could only shake her head and lie to him. Eric sighed before seeing Grimsby trying to hand him something. He didn't want to take the money but he knew that if he didn't then he might be forced to come back to the castle. He stiffly took it before turning to Ariel, watching her suspiciously.

"Come on, Lana," he said as he gestured that they should leave. He tapped his leg so that Max would follow and didn't even say goodbye to the older man. He was too angry at that. They should have been kinder to the girl who owned his heart.

….

…..

"I brought us some rolls to go with the fish," Eric grinned as he brought Ariel a plate of food and sat on the bed opposite hers. He had been able to pay for lodgings with the fish he had sold because he hated touching the money from Grimsby. It most likely came from his mother, that along with the nets and guards who had attacked Ariel. "Here," he said as he handed her the fork.

Ariel looked at it and turned it in her hand, "I used to think this was a…" she found her voice to catch in her throat again. "You combed your hair," she gestured and Eric watched her carefully.

"Is that a thing?" he laughed as he started to eat his own food. "Ariel thought that too. I thought it was just a mermaid thing. He saw Ariel shake her head. "Wow, I guess I really am uneducated about female fashion trends," he laughed, "That's what going to sea so often does to you."

"You were so kind to her," Ariel managed to say, surprised that she could do so. Was it just that she couldn't talk about herself but she could talk about herself in third person. "You didn't judge her."

"How do you know I wasn't judging her? I thought she was strange but in an amusing way. That probably sounds cruel of me. I hope you remember that I was willing to risk my life for her. I don't want you just to think that I was laughing at her." Eric sighed and pushed a hand through his hair. "You know, maybe I shouldn't trust you. I've been hypnotized in the past but -"

"I won't force you to marry me," she said and Eric cringed.

"I wish that had never happened, word of that must have traveled pretty fast, not one of my best moments," he told her. He bowed his head and cringed. "I just wish that I could be with her now."

Ariel opened her mouth to argue but knew that it would be futile, instead she just reached out and took Eric's hand in her own. She nodded to him and he sighed before pulling away. She looked at him, showing the pain in her expression. "Eric!" she yelled at him and he looked around, hoping that people hadn't heard that. "I can't tell you my true name," she said and he looked at her.

"I thought that your name was Lana but…it's okay," he said uneasily. "Whatever your name is, it's okay. I don't blame you for giving me a false name."

"I physically _can't_ tell you my name," she said and Eric looked at her confused. He sat back, studying her. Was she cursed or did that mean that she was related to that sea witch? He opened his mouth to argue but Ariel leaned forwards. "When I try my throat closes up."

Eric blinked at her, he nodded wondering if this was because she was nervous. It wouldn't be the first girl who had become weak in the knees after faced with the royal family. She looked at him before trying to take his hand in hers. She knew that this might not work but she had to try.

"It's me," she tried to convince him, looking at him intently before she felt herself fall back, gasping for air. She felt like she had done something wrong. She shouldn't have done that. She should have followed the rules. What was she doing?

Not knowing what else to do, Eric picked her up and tried to pour water over her face, he could see her start to calm down and drew a bath. As he held her, he saw her lose consciousness and for a moment, her appearance changed dramatically to the unconscious love of his life. He held her protectively, shocked that he had been with the girl he loved.

He tested the water before placing her in the bath. He nervously saw her start to breathe again and let his fingers go through her red hair. He should be taking care of her. "Ariel," he said as he tried his best to comfort her. He saw her under the water and then felt someone else there. He was still uneducated about the world under the sea. All he knew was that he would do anything to save the life of this girl.

"If you wish to save her, prince, you will pretend that you don't know who she truly is," a voice said. "Do I have your agreement?"

"I can't stop loving her," he said as he felt Ariel weakly grab to his wrist. He could feel her heart weakening, her body getting scalier and pale. This was wrong.

"I'm not asking that but she must remain Lana to you," the voice said and Eric nodded.

"I promise," he whispered and he saw Ariel's body transform into the human Lana. He saw her start to breathe again and he smiled as he watched her before immediately standing and turning from her. "I didn't know what else to do. You seemed to be in shock."

"Eric?" Ariel asked and Eric placed a hand upon his heart but he still looked away from her.

"I'll get you a towel but then I suggest that you get to bed. I'll wait up for you if you prefer," he said before looking at her, his face turning to a neutral which made Ariel wonder if she had done something to upset him. "Are you okay, Lana?" he asked and she nodded. Eric walked away from her before patting Max's head. He allowed himself to smile now that she couldn't see him. What had given him this kind of luck?

**End of Chapter Five**

**Thank you for reading, reviews are appreciated**

Thank you to the reviewers of Chapter Four

Jmschocolate, marat2011


	6. Chapter 6 - Who Has Priority?

**Chapter Six – Who Has Priority?**

Eric tried to calm himself when he took Max out to the coast early the next morning. He didn't know what to think. There just seemed to be so much to question. So, somehow Ariel was posing as Lana who was supposed to be human and therefore acceptable in the minds of society. She had turned human to find him? The dog…did that dog used to be a fish? Okay. Eric took another deep breath in as he tried to get the information straight in his mind. Ariel was now Lana and he had found that out but she was pretending to be Lana and he was supposed to allow her to continue to pretend to him.

This was all strange to him.

There had to be some reason for this happening that he didn't understand. Was it so that Ariel could discover what being a human actually meant? Was that why he was supposed to act neutral towards her, because if he knew that she was really the girl that he loved he would do anything in his power to make it easier for her. He sighed before looking at the sheepdog.

"Sometimes, Max," he joked to his companion, "I wonder who has the easier life here, me or you." He saw Max turn back to him and panted before laughing and reaching out to ruffle up the fur on the top of the dog's head. It didn't really matter. He wasn't suddenly supposed to become a dog….right?

"You must think of me as an idiot," he told the dog who came bounding towards him and licked his cheeks, looking at him from underneath the large clumps of fur covering his eyes and wagging his tail. Eric pulled the dog to his chest and hugged him, holding him affectionately. "Max, you truly are that same sweet puppy," he joked to the dog.

Eric knelt down in the sand by the coast as he saw the sun start to rise even more and he put a hand on Max's back, looking at his friend. "So, what do I do? I have to keep pretending, right? How do I do that? I was never one for acting, I love adventure and I was always enchanted by those stories of mermaids which my mother told me, but acting…I don't know if I have too much of a personality in regular life to just develop a second."

Max whined and rubbed his head against Eric's chest. Eric sighed before picking up a stick and looked to Max who was extremely eager and tossed the stick. "Okay, boy, fetch," he said with a playful smile but his smile faded as he saw Lana there. Now that he knew the truth, it was as if he could see Ariel underneath that shell and a part of him was angry at getting played with so much. He understood why _Ariel_ couldn't be here, she had been exposed as a mermaid, but Vanessa had hypnotized him and then she hadn't even been Vanessa but some sea witch octopus bit-something.

"Good morning," Ariel said as she watched him and Eric felt a little annoyed at the way she was appearing to study him. Still, she couldn't help it. She wasn't meaning to make him suffer like this. "It's a beautiful morning, isn't it?"

"Yes," Eric said before seeing Max start to play with the other dog. "….Lana," he sighed not knowing what would happen if he said her proper name but he didn't want to hurt her. How she had looked above the water when she had tried to tell him the truth, it showed that she was in great pain. "What are you doing here? You could have waited in the room?"

"I thought that I would help," Ariel told him and Eric raised an eyebrow. "I mean, I really want to help you and you want to create a better life for yourself, right?"

"I would prefer a life where there is harmony between the land and the sea," Eric told her and saw her watching him. He took a deep breath in, he didn't want to look at her for too long or he might do something which he would regret. "There are distant worlds out there. There are more people, more….species, I suppose, than just us. I want to be able to live on a world that bridges one community to another because of how loved people are."

"I think that's beautiful, Eric," Ariel said and he tried to look away from her. "I think that music can do that too. Music can leave marks on people for a long time and it conveys all types of emotions. I really do enjoy music."

Eric laughed as he thought of how beautiful her signing voice truly was. Remembering how she had saved his life and then stayed over him whilst singing to him and making sure that he was breathing, that set his soul on fire and made his heart beat passionately. "I'm not much of a singer," he joked and Ariel moved over to him. She took his hand and squeezed it. He squeezed back, his heart pumping loudly due to his desire to be as close to her as he could.

"I am sure that you could play beautiful music though, it just takes an appreciation and love for music to be able to start playing," she said and Eric looked at her. He smiled as he gazed into her eyes but then looked away.

"I promise you that if music made the lives of everyone easier, I would highly promote it. Ariel was an amazing singer, well I'm sure that she is still an amazing singer. I don't think she knows how highly I prize her. How I would do anything to be with her again. I don't think she realizes that."

Ariel paused as she stared at him. Part of her felt jealous that here he was, this prince who had captivated her heart, and he was talking about how passionately he felt for another woman. Then there was the logical side of her that knew he was talking about her, that he was reacting with passion for _her_. Ariel bowed her head sadly and looked into the much lighter sky. "I hope that you'll be able to find her. I hope she'll be able to stay with you."

Eric looked her over, "You truly wish for that to happen?"

Ariel nodded. She saw him smile and was just glad that he showed this commitment to the other version of herself. She felt sad and as if he were rejecting her and that led to her feeling confused by the whole series of events but at least he was happy and he had her on his mind. She could work with this.

ArErArEr

Triton stared at the crab beside him. After what had happened that night with the prince who was a so-called ally to them, for him not to have Ariel under constant guard was pulling his heart in numerous ways. There was a sharp stabbing wound against his chest but he had to remember his duties as king. Hopefully those fish eating monsters hadn't killed his youngest daughter or had her imprisoned in one of their labs.

"Sebastian, are you truly saying that we don't have a location of Ariel's whereabouts," the king said and the crab turned to him. He looked very meekly into the ruler's eyes. "Because I will wage war on those perfect humans if I even suspect for a moment that they are serving her for dinner."

"I don't think…that extreme…your Majesty," Sebastian said but as Triton turned to him he realized that that was probably one of the last things which he should have said. Triton watched him. "I only feel that she is being smart and capable and …."

"And she has gone back to _him_?" Triton asked and Sebastian nodded. "The man who betrayed us. The man who allowed others to know of the existence of -"

"Well, he did stop Ursula, you know….when he drove that boat from the ship's graveyard into her and it caused her to lose her powers. We all thought that he would die when that happened."

Triton's eyes showed a flash of fury as Sebastian told him that information, "It would have been better_ had_ he died!" he yelled out and the crab looked at him weakly. "That man is the reason as to why society will be ruined. Ariel's stupid infatuation with him has brought him to disrespect the powers of the sea."

"Could it be that you are misjudging the human just a little," Sebastian tried to reason with him but Triton's anger only grew more intense. He stared in front of him and tried to monitor his breathing. Sebastian looked him over wishing that he could just disappear.

"Can you guarantee that Ariel is not in some lab somewhere?" he asked the crab and Sebastian opened his mouth wanting to stand up for the independently-minded princess. However, he knew that he did not have absolute certainty that this wouldn't have happened. Triton looked at him, his anger deepening from the fact that Sebastian _hadn't _answered him. "Do you have a location for him?"

"I think that we can possibly get you that information but I doubt that that man, despite him being human, really intended any danger to us or to her. I think that there might be degrees of…uh…character, Your Majesty but…" Sebastian squeaked as he saw the rage that Triton was showing and brought his claws over his head in an attempt to hide from the man he revered. "I will get you that information right away."

Triton let his fingers tap on the arm of his throne. That boy was an idiot. It was because of him that the tides were turning and that they were turning with a ruthless hostility. He had been the one who had brought land and sea together. He had lured his precious Ariel in with human tricks. If he had only been a merman he would have permitted this to happen but it was all his fault. The endangerment on the merfolk's world was all as a result of _his_ actions.

ArErArEr

Eric had been able to earn enough money to get them something for dinner and he had decided to try to rely on more vegetables rather than seafood or meat. Ariel was part fish but he didn't really know what that meant. There were a lot of stories about mermaids not wanting to eat fish as they considered them family and yes, that yellow fish that Ariel had been with would be considered that. However, when you truly studied fish, you learned that there were big fish who ate smaller fish.

Eric sighed as he sat up in the bed that night, he would have to figure this out. He didn't even know how he would be able to do it as directly asking her would expose the fact that he knew the truth about her. Eric sighed before looking to the side, the yellow dog was still sleeping but Max. "Max, buddy?" Eric asked as he looked around before hearing the sounds of a thunderstorm. Max was a big softy and he sometimes got terrified by loud sounds.

"Are you hiding, Max? Come on, it's okay, you can come sleep with me."

There was no response inside the room but Eric heard a loud and long howl from outside of the room. He quickly grabbed a lantern and made sure it was lit before bolting in the direction of where he could hear Max's voice.

As Eric raced out of the room, he was surprised to see that there was a pathway lit up by the moon ahead of him and at the end of the pathway was someone who looked like an arm guard at the end of the beach with Max in his arms. It wasn't until Eric rushed further that he realized this guard wasn't standing on the beach, he was in the water.

"Max!" Eric yelled, his lungs hurting him. He grabbed to a piece of sharp driftwood. "Get your hands off of my dog!"

**End of Chapter Six**

**Thank you for reading, reviews are appreciated**

**I've actually started a new method of which fics to update. One of the three things I'm going to be looking for are number of reviews on the latest chapter (this came when I found out one of my fics had 500 views and zero reviews on its latest chapter) so if you like certain fics and want to see them updated please leave a review, it really is appreciated**

Thank you to the reviewers of Chapter Five

Marati2011, Purple Majestic


End file.
